Ethan Brown has credited star trainer Ciaron Maher as a source of inspiration to get back on the saddle after almost giving riding away.
The 27-year-old cooly piloted favourite Point Of Law to a barnstorming win in the 166th edition of the Melbourne Cup at Flemington on Tuesday.
"Don't wake me up, I'm lost for words," Brown said.
"This is the race that we all try and win and to be in a position at such a young age to do so, it's just indescribable."
Brown suffered a near-fatal fall at the same track in 2023 during the Australian Guineas.
His injuries included a lacerated liver, damaged kidney, three fractured vertebrae and a severed artery.
The young hoop underwent surgery and spent six months recovering before making his return to racing.
"As they say, I guess, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger," Brown said.
"There were a lot of speedbumps from that fall to getting to my comeback.
"It was very hard at times and at one stage I didn't think I was going to come back, I didn't think it would be worth it.
"But I had a slow burn and woke up one morning and thought I need to get back riding and it's all led to this moment now."
At one point, Maher had to talk the Alice Springs product out of giving up riding to become a trainer.
Maher, once a small-time jockey in his own right, described Brown as an over-thinker and said he was a bit lost at the time.
"I just told him my thoughts ... 'no way. If you're light enough to do it, do it'," the two-time Cup winner said.
''When he went to Hong Kong, I was like yeah 'no worries mate, I'll put you back together when you come home, and he thrived'.
"This year you can just see that confidence. When they (jockeys) get to a certain level, there's not much difference between your JMac (James McDonald) and Browny and (Mark) Zahra.
"But it's the confidence that once they become a big-race rider then they are, and that's what he's done."
Brown did not panic when his mount got shuffled back in the field as pacesetter Royal Supremacy streaked to a big lead around the back straight.
With Point Of Law's Geelong Cup win burned into his brain, Brown felt the lightly raced, royally bred colt had the turn of foot to slice through the field.
"I saw Royal Supremacy was about 20 (lengths) in front and I got a little bit nervous then," he said.
"I had to put a whole lot of trust in my horse, he got the gaps at the right time and the feel when he quickened at the 350m, I thought the race was over then.
"I know Royal Supremacy was still a fair way in front but there's not many horses that can quicken like that off the back of 3200m."
